Meanwhile, four hours to the south, Existing CSXT railroad tracks are utilized for the planned route. CRT trains consist of 1-3 cars and can carry up to 218 passengers. Maximum operating speed is generally between 65-79 mph.Hm, using existing CSX tracks, just like the GS&F (now CSX) route from Hahira through Mineola, Remerton, Valdosta, Dasher, and Lake Park.
It ran two trains each way each day in 1918 (one was different on Sunday):
Like Valdosta earlier on a different railroad, the town of Berlin was founded because of the VM&W RR.
Unfortunately, it was short-lived, lasting only from 1910 to 1921. Its demise seems to have been connected with
…the final depletion of the vast supply of timber about 1922 and the railroad systems which had played such an important role in the flourishing development of Berlin ceased operations.It's hard to tell from that brief quotation whether the end of the timber caused the failure of the railroads, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a factor.— The Origin of Berlin, Berlin Community Volunteer Fire Department Station 31, Berlin, Georgia, accessed 10 August 2008
I see the Lowndes County Commission has on its agenda for Tuesday 12 August a "Resolution in Support of a Four-Lane Project for State Hwy 133 from Albany to Valdosta. This is the same resolution that was before Colquitt County Commission on August 5.
Before the Lowndes County Commission votes, it would be useful to know what have been the effects of Corridor Z, the four lane highway from Jekyll Island to Columbus by way of Tifton and Albany, also known as Ga. Route 520. Has it produced the effects the committee for widening Ga. 133 wants? Has it benefited agriculture and industry? Has it led to more opportunities? What ill effects on local landowners and environment did its construction have?
And what do the people think who live along the route of Ga. 133?
The old Atlantic Coast Line station lot, at the U-turn between Patterson and Ashley just north of the downtown overpass, is owned by the City of Valdosta. That's kind of moot, since there are no tracks there now.
The old Georgia & Florida Station lot between Toombs and Patterson and between Savannah and Florida is owned by Lowndes County, as shown here:
The county Health Department is in the middle of it, but the tracks run against the back parking lot. These are the tracks that go to Moody.
And the old Georgia and Florida station lot, just south of that, is owned by CSX, as part of a strip along their tracks from Toombs St. to Railroad Ave.:
CSX TRANSPORTATION INC
TAX DEPARTMENT C-910
500 WATER STREET
JACKSONVILLE, FL 32202
The old GSF Station lot, just south of that, between Toombs and Patterson and north of Florida Ave., is owned by Norfolk and Southern.
NORFOLK SOUTHERN RAILWAY CO & SUBSID
C/O GULF & OHIO RAILWAYS
PO BOX 2408
KNOXVILLE, TN 379012408
It looks from the aerial maps like it's being used for a park, and there's some sort of tiny building on it, too. These are the tracks that go to Hahira, Mineola, Remerton, Dasher, and Lake Park.
If you select aerial photography you'll see that the tracks are currently located slightly differently than the map above shows.
However, it appears that new Valdosta train stations could be constructed with agreement from nobody other than Lowndes County and the railroads. Well, them and the planning commission, and the county commission, and the Valdosta City Council, and the various cities the passenger service would run to. But the Valdosta station land itself seems to be in the hands of a small number of appropriate parties.
Found on Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage, by Steve Storey
Along with many other stops, it shows service to Hahira, Mineola, Valdosta, Dasher, Lake Park, and Melrose.
Source map found in Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas at Austin
There was one station each for:
So 2 out of 3 station locations still have running tracks (and the third I think also has running tracks; they were just rerouted to go under the underpass). I have no idea who owns the station footprints. Wouldn’t have to be precisely the same locations, anyway; somewhere within a block or two would have the same advantages of accessibility to each other and to downtown.
-jsq
In 1910, Lowndes County had railroads running every which way:
(Source image found through
Railroad History, which has a
clickable map of Georgia railroads. Initial idea owed to Bob Clouston.)
Yep, that looks like a road map, but those are railroads, including where Bemiss Road and old U.S. 41 North run now. Most of the tracks are still there; you can see them on Google maps.
Just a few days ago three people from Lowndes County told me they’d taken the SAM Shortline, which runs through Cordele, Americus, and Plains. It’s a “rolling park” for tourists, but what about commuter rail for workers, shoppers, and tourists?
The RR rights of way already exist in Lowndes County. The Georgia Southern and Florida Railway parallels old U.S. 41 North and the Georgia and Florida Railway (now Central of Georgia Railway) parallels Bemiss Road. After all, it was a railroad that caused Valdosta to incorporate in its present location in 1860. I don’t know if the G&F is still active, but I can hear trains on the GS&F from my house, and I get stopped for them often enough in Hahira.
Why not run a commuter service in addition to the freight trains already on that line? Run it from Hahira in the north to Lake Park in the south, stopping at Valdosta several times at the morning and afternoon rush hours, maybe with lunchtime and evening extra trains. Stop in Mineola (all aboard, Stone Creek golf carters!), Remerton, Dasher, and Melrose, too, like the GS&F used to. That would connect all five incorporated cities in Lowndes County with an efficient rail service. Less road traffic, fewer accidents, no need to widen any road, less gas money, and less pollution. Encourage development close to those cities without sprawl. What’s not to like?
Sure, it would cost money. More than the $6 million the DOT’s old US 41 widening scheme would cost? I suspect not. And once it’s running, let it pay for itself in fares. Save some gas. Save some houses, farms, and woodlands. Attract more customers and tourists to north Lowndes county and to Valdosta and the other cities. Be a leader to the rest of the country.
Numerous additions would be easy. Remerton is less than half a mile from the mall: add a shuttle bus between the mall, Remerton, and VSU. The airport is only a few miles from the tracks: add a stop at south Inner Perimeter and shuttle bus to the airport, or have a shuttle run between downtown Valdosta, a train station on West Hill Ave., and the airport. Wild Adventures could subsidize a further leg out to their place. And of course, add commuter service to Moody on the G&F, with stops at Bemiss and Barretts.
Valdosta is very proud of having a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Use the old lines to Brooks, Echols, and Lanier Counties. But people come to shop in Valdosta from farther away than that. GS&F goes to Adel and Tifton, too. Eventually provide service to Atlanta in the north and Orlando in the south. Go on down the Valdosta Southern Railroad to Clyattville and Madison, Florida. Make Valdosta a rail travel hub.
That would even attract more airline passengers to the airport, because they could take the train in and fly out. Connect rail service to Jacksonville and Savannah and let Delta compete with Southwest and Jetblue.
Start small, Hahira and Lake Park to Valdosta. Now that people are looking at TitleTown, let’s leverage that attention with a new title, this time for making money with environmentally friendly rail service.
Call it the TitleTown Express!
Updated 10:12AM 1 Aug 2008.
The canopy road leading to the entrance of Old Dorchester State Park, South Carolina:
